Follow Weightless Flights on Twitter, Facebook

July 6, 2009 — Are you interested in the science, technology, engineering, or math fields? If you answered yes, you’re in the minority, with the United States experiencing a shortage of college graduates in the STEM disciplines. But the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, developed by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, is trying to change that. Because studies have indicated most children decide to pursue math and science education and careers during middle school, Northrop Grumman developed Weightless Flights of Discovery to engage teachers who influence youth during those crucial years. Now Northrop Grumman has launched Facebook and Twitter platforms in support of the professional development program that allow teachers to prepare for and participate in micro- and zero-gravity flights so they can take the experience back into their middle school classrooms. The Facebook and Twitter pages serve as tools to keep teachers, students, and science and space enthusiasts informed about the program through continuous news updates and information sharing. Ongoing posts include news on application deadlines, details on upcoming flights, press releases and interesting facts and statistics from the science, space and technology fields. The social media pages also aim to bring science fans and followers together through the sharing of photos and videos of teachers at workshops and on microgravity flights, as well as through the hosting discussions on various topics and encouraging feedback and comments from all. “Today’s social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are a great way for us to further our mission to excite, engage and inform students, teachers, and the general public about science and STEM,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “Creating these social networking platforms seems like a natural step to give the science community that is already active online, and our own Weightless Flights program friends and family, a place to come together as a community to share experiences and their enthusiasm for science with one another.”

Middle school teachers participate in zero-gravity flights as part of the Weightless Flights of Discovery program. Photo credit: YouTube Teachers float in micro- or zero-gravity to get re-invigorated to teach middle school students science and math. Photo credit: YouTube The Northrop Grumman Foundation has launched social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for its Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. Logo credit: Twitter

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